Free Speech Haters Want To BAN “Redskins” From NFL… Here’s How That Turned Out

The Washington Redskins have been under attack by liberals for some time now because of the name of the team, but it looks like that battle might be over — at least for for the time being.

Earlier in July, a federal judge had ordered the cancellation of the team’s trademark, but on Tuesday a federal appeals court ruled that the provision used to strike down the team’s trademark was unconstitutional.

The D.C. Circuit Court ruled on Tuesday that the Lanham Act, the legal provision allowing the government to reject disparaging trademarks, was a violation of the First Amendment, according to Fox News.

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The ruling came in a separate case filed by “The Slants,” an Oregon band who were refused a registration of their trademark on the basis that their name could be offensive to some Asian-Americans.

That case, filed in 2013, was similar in many respects to the Redskins dispute pending before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Redskins appealed the judge’s July order and those challenging the trademark have until Jan. 14 to file a response to the team’s appeal.

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The central issue in these cases involves a federal trademark law that prohibits registration of trademarks that might disparage individuals or groups, or trademarks that might bring them into contempt or disrepute.

The federal court in D.C. said it was unconstitutional for the government to refuse to register trademarks despite the fact if it disapproves of those trademarks.

The First Amendment scored a win with this ruling and there are no doubt plenty of liberals screaming about it. It’s safe to assume that it won’t take them long to find another cause to rail against, putting our right to free speech back in their crosshairs.